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17 May 2024 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Supplied
Fine Arts Department visit 2024
Prof Magdalena Sobon from Poland and Michael Jackson Blebo from Ghana shared their expertise with staff and students during their visit to the Department of Fine Arts at the University of the Free State.

In a concerted effort to solidify its identity in South Africa and abroad, the Department of Fine Arts at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently played host to two distinguished artists: Prof Magdalena Sobon from the Wladyslaw Strzeminski Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, and the Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist, Michael Jackson Blebo.

Dr Adelheid Von Maltitz, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts at UFS, lauded the visits, held between 19 and 29 March 2024, as an enriching learning experience for the faculty and students within the department.

The visit highlights

During their visit to UFS, Prof Sobon and Blebo actively engaged with the department’s staff and students. Prof Sobon, an acknowledged paper-making artist, conducted a comprehensive two-day workshop, imparting extensive knowledge in this craft. As a direct outcome of this workshop, the department has procured the requisite equipment and materials, enriching the students’ capabilities in this medium. Blebo on the other hand, conducted a demonstration on clay bust modelling and both artists participated in critique sessions with the fourth-year students. Dr Von Maltitz underlined the significance of Blebo’s African heritage, noting, ‘’For our students to interact with a young, accomplished artist of his calibre is of benefit to them in terms of how they may envision their art careers.’’ Of particular note were Prof Sobon’s interactions with the students, wherein she shared her own artistic practices from her student years during her lectures.

In addition to their engagements with the students, Prof Sobon and Blebo also had the opportunity to present their research to second-year sculpture students at the Richmond Land Art Project, an off-campus initiative fostering art creation centred on socio-economic and other pertinent issues.

Future collaborations

Dr Von Maltitz emphasised the importance of maintaining ties with these eminent artists for the department’s growth and global outreach. Prof Sobon’s visit has paved the way for two department members to visit the Wladyslaw Strzeminski Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz in the near future. ‘’These individuals will get an opportunity to learn about studio setups and network with fellow academics, creative researchers, and artists,’’ stated Dr Von Maltitz. She hailed the visit by the two artists as both stimulating and fruitful, particularly for the students.

News Archive

UFS Council approves a new Language Policy
2016-03-11

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) approved a new Language Policy with an overwhelming majority during its meeting held on the Qwaqwa Campus today (11 March 2016).

In the newly approved policy, the university commits to embed and enable a language-rich environment committed to multilingualism, with particular attention to Afrikaans, Sesotho, isiZulu, and other languages represented on the three campuses situated in Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa.

Based on the core values of inclusivity and multilingualism, the following principles in the newly approved policy were approved by the Council:

  1. English will be the primary medium of instruction at undergraduate and postgraduate level on the three campuses situated in Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa.
  2. Multilingualism will be supported among other activities by an expanded tutorial system especially designed for first-year students.
  3. In particular professional programmes such as teacher education and the training of students in Theology who wish to enter the ministry in traditional Afrikaans speaking churches, where there is clear market need, the parallel medium English-Afrikaans and Sesotho/Zulu continues. This arrangement must not undermine the values of inclusivity and diversity endorse by the UFS.
  4. The primary formal language of the university administration will be English with sufficient flexibility for the eventual practice of multilingualism across the university.
  5. Formal student life interactions would be in English, while multilingualism is encouraged in all social interactions.

“This is a major step forward for the UFS. I commend Council for their constructive and positive manner in which the discussion took place,” says Judge Ian van der Merwe, Chairperson of the UFS Council.

The university furthermore committed in the newly approved policy to:

  1. Ensuring that language is not a barrier to equity of access, opportunity and success in academic programmes or in access to university administration.
  2. Promoting the provision of academic literacy, especially in English, for all undergraduate students.
  3. Ensuring that language is not used or perceived as a tool for social exclusion of staff and/or students on any of its campuses.
  4. Promoting a pragmatic learning and administrative environment committed to and accommodative of linguistic diversity within the regional, national and international environments in which the UFS operates.       
  5. Contributing to the development of Sesotho and isiZulu as higher education language within the context of the needs of the university’s different campuses.
  6. The continuous development of Afrikaans as an academic language.
  7. Recognising and promoting South African Sign Language and Braille.

Today’s approval of a new policy comes after a mandate was given to the university management on 5 June 2015 by Council to conduct a review of the institutional Language Policy through a comprehensive process of consultation with all university stakeholders. A Language Committee was subsequently established by the University Management Committee (UMC) to undertake a comprehensive review of the parallel-medium policy, which was approved by Council on 6 June 2003. The committee also had to make recommendations on the way forward with respect to the university's Language Policy. During its meeting on 4 December 2015, Council adopted guidelines from the report of the Language Committee regarding the development of a new policy for the university.

The newly approved Language Policy will be phased in as from January 2017 according to an Implementation Plan.

Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Email: news@ufs.ac.za

Related articles:

http://www.ufs.ac.za/templates/news-archive-item?news=6567 (26 November 2015)
http://www.ufs.ac.za/templates/news-archive-item?news=6540 (28 October 2015)
http://www.ufs.ac.za/templates/news-archive-item?news=6521 (20 October 2015)
http://www.ufs.ac.za/templates/news-archive-item?news=6469 (30 August 2015)
http://www.ufs.ac.za/templates/news-archive-item?news=6444 (25 August 2015)

 
Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Telephone: +27(0)51 401 2584 | +27(0)83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27(0)51 444 6393

 

 


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